The next two days passed in a blur of recovery.

Lucas spent most of it in meditation, following the system's guidance to fully stabilize his core.

The process was tedious but it was necessary. If he rushed it, it could cause permanent damage.

[Core stability at 89%. 100% stabilization projected for tomorrow morning.]

He also took the time to properly examine his new skills.

[Skill: Danger Sense (Basic)]

[Effect: Provides intuitive warning of incoming threats. Effectiveness depends on threat level and user's perception stat.]

[Skill: Soul Sword]

[Effect: Manifest a blade formed from compressed soul energy. Strength scales with user's Intelligence stat. Can damage incorporeal entities.]

Both would be incredibly useful, especially Danger Sense. If he'd had that during the fight with Veronica, he might have avoided some of her attacks.

The Soul Sword was more interesting. Lucas spent an hour just examining it, getting used to its weight and balance.

Unlike a physical weapon, it seemed to respond to his intentions, the blade subtly shifting in length and thickness based on his mental commands.

On the third morning, he woke to a familiar notification.

[Core stability at 100%. Congratulations!]

Lucas smiled.

Now it's time to actually learn how to use this power effectively.

Lucas went straight to the training grounds.

There were three training grounds in the academy. One indoors, one outdoors and one only accessible by teachers and S class students.

The one Lucas had went to was the outdoors one.

It was somewhat desolate and abandoned since most students preferred the luxury and up to date equipment of the indoor grounds.

This was perfect for Lucas since he didn't really want to expose himself to other students.

He started with physical conditioning. His body was still adapting to being Copper rank, and he needed to build the muscle memory and stamina to match his new mana capacity.

The pre-dawn air bit at Lucas' skin as he dropped into position on the training field.

His palms pressed flat against the cold planks, shoulders squared, body forming a perfect line from head to heel.

One. Two. Three.

The first twenty push-ups came to him easy despite his body not being well trained before due to the boost in his stats from the core and the Leklass fruit elixir.

His muscles, still tight from sleep, began to warm and loosen.

Twenty-one. Twenty-two.

Forty push-ups in, sweat began forming on his forehead. At fifty, his arms trembled slightly on the descent, but he pushed through.

Sixty. Seventy.

At one hundred, he dropped to his knees, rolled his shoulders back and immediately transitioned to the next exercise.

Lucas flipped onto his back. His hands went behind his head, and he began the sit-ups.

The first set of thirty came quick but by sixty sit-ups, his stomach muscles burned.

At eighty, he gritted his teeth, forcing his body to curl up again and again.

One hundred sit-ups completed, he rolled to his feet in one quick motion, barely pausing before beginning the squats.

Feet shoulder-width apart, Marcus descended into the first squat, thighs parallel to the ground, weight in his heels.

He drove upward explosively, then controlled his descent into the next repetition.

Twenty squats. Forty.

His quadriceps screamed in protest.

Sixty.

At eighty, his legs shook but he maintained perfect form.

One hundred.

He stood straight, hands on his hips, and allowed himself exactly thirty seconds of rest while his leg muscles quivered and burned.

The eastern horizon was just beginning to lighten as Lucas set off on his run around the academy field.

He completed four laps, then the five, before finally slowing to a walk.

He gave himself five minutes to recover, walking in slow circles and letting his heart rate settle and his breathing return to normal.

Lucas then got a practice sword from a rack nearby.

He moved to the center of the platform and assumed his stance: feet apart, knees slightly bent, sword held in both hands at a forty-five-degree angle.

He began with the basic forms.

Overhead strike. Diagonal cut. Horizontal slash. Thrust. Overhead strike. Diagonal cut. Horizontal slash. Thrust.

He then moved on to more complex combinations.

High guard to low sweep. Parry and riposte. Spinning strike. High guard to low sweep. Parry and riposte. Spinning strike.

Finally, after thirty minutes with the sword, Lucas did one final overhead strike and held the position. He held the pose for a ten-count, then slowly straightened out which brought the sword back to rest position.

He was finished for the morning so he went inside to rest. Celeste joined him for sparring in the afternoon and the two were back on the field.

It was still as desolate as the morning.

"Ready?" she called out.

Lucas nodded and raised his sword.

"Azure Flash!"

Celeste called out as she closed the distance in a blink. Lucas barely managed to raise his blade in time to block the attack.

"Too slow!" Celeste didn't give him time to recover. "Cascade Strike!"

Her sword came down in a series of rapid overhead cuts, each one faster than the last.

Lucas parried the first two, but the third slipped past his guard and struck his shoulder with enough force to spin him halfway around.

He gritted his teeth and channeled mana into his legs. He lunged forward with his blade aimed at Celeste's midsection.

She sidestepped gracefully but, unfortunately for her, he'd anticipated that.

He pivoted mid-stride and redirected his momentum into a horizontal slash.

"Not bad," Celeste said. "But predictable."

She spun in place, her sword creating a defensive barrier of motion that deflected his follow-up attacks.

When the rotation completed, she transitioned seamlessly into an offensive stance.

"Torrent Thrust!"

Her blade shot forward in a straight line, mana coating the tip in a shimmer of blue energy.

Lucas tried to dodge, but the attack was too fast. The dulled point caught him square in the chest, and he stumbled backward.

"That's three hits for me," Celeste said, lowering her sword slightly. "Want to keep going?"

Lucas looked up at her. "I barely... touched you."

"True. Your footwork is sloppy," Celeste said, offering a hand to pull him up. "You're relying too much on raw power now that you're Copper rank. That won't work against skilled opponents."

So Lucas drilled footwork for three hours straight, moving through the basic forms until they became second nature.

By evening, he was so exhausted he could barely walk back to his dorm. But he pushed through, spending another two hours reviewing Magical Theory in the library.

The midterm exam would cover combat, but it could also test magical knowledge, mana control, and tactical thinking.

He couldn't afford to slack on any of it even if it didn't end up on the test.

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